Posts Tagged ‘scrap’

For students and starving artists, it is difficult to find quality materials without breaking the bank. Not only can hunting for the perfect component for a project be an exercise in frustration, purchasing new items can also put a strain on both the planet and the wallet.

Established in 1976 to provide materials for art teachers in the San Francisco Public School system, SCRAP (Scrounger’s Center for Reusable Art Parts) is the Bay Area’s oldest creative reuse center. For over 30 years, the non-profit has supplied artists, educators, and scroungers with items rescued from their fate as landfill clutter. Currently residing in a warehouse provided by the SFUSD, SCRAP houses over 5,000 square feet of wood, metal, glass, fabric, images, plastic, beads, buttons, toys, and nearly anything you could possibly need to complete a masterpiece. In exchange for a place to store their “art parts” and hold workshops, the program donates its services to the community organizations, teachers, and parents working within the school district. Sustained by the money raised from selling materials, SCRAP is able to offer free item pickup, low-cost classes, and school field trips.

Aside from their work promoting arts and culture, SCRAP has also had a positive impact on the environment. By turning trash into treasure, the organization diverts over 200 tons of waste from the dump each year. Through “creative reuse“, artists transform the worthless into the wonderful, adding value and meaning to what was formerly seen as junk.